Consumer VC: Venture Capital I B2C Startups I Commerce | Early-Stage Investing

Welcome to The Consumer VC, a podcast newsletter about venture capital and consumer. If you aren’t subscribed, come and subscribe below. Hey Friends, Our guest today is Brigette Wolf , VP and Global Head of SnackFutures at Mondelēz International . Mondelez International is an American multinational confectionery, food, and beverage holding company. Some of their brands include Oreo , Cadbury , Chi...

Hey friends, Our guest today on the podcast is Ashley Hartman , Managing Partner at Bluestein Ventures . Bluestein Ventures is one of the premier family-backed venture capital fund in the food industry whose mission is to transform the food system into a better, more nutritious, and sustainable world. They invest at the Seed to Series A rounds and some of their investments include Factor , Meati ,...

Hey friends, Our guest today is Vijen Patel , who is the co-founder of Pressbox (now Tide Cleaners) and The 81 Collection . Pressbox was a 24/7 dry cleaning and laundry service that Vijen bootstrapped to a very successful exit to P&G. The 81 Collection is a VC fund that focuses on the hard industries. We discuss: * Why he had no choice but to bootstrap his dry cleaning tech business * His approach...

Hey Friends, This is a recording of a live interview I did with Ty Haney last month in Austin, TX. Ty is most famous for founding Outdoor Voices , the technical apparel brand whose on a mission to get the world moving. My apologies in advance, we had a lot of technical issues on the day and the quality of the recording is not great. I really appreciate Ty for being incredibly open about her journe...

Hey Friends, Our guest today on The Consumer VC podcast is Jesse Pujji , Founder of Gateway X and Ampush . Gateway X is a venture studio and holding company founded by Jesse Pujji. Ampush is a growth marketing partner that crafts holistic strategies and executes throughout the funnel. We discuss: * Why he left Goldman Sachs to start a performance marketing company * Why he was bullish on Facebook...

Hey Friends, Our guest today is Marcos Gonzalez , Founder & Managing Partner of VamosVentures . VamosVentures is committed to creating a pipeline of diverse VC investors. Their investments include Stix , DRNXSMYTH , and Suma . We also discuss: * How he invests in both software and consumer businesses * Approach to portfolio construction * How to increase the number of diverse founders who are vent...

Thanks for reading The Consumer VC! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work. Hey friends, Thank you Tige Savage for the introduction to our guest today, Steve Case . Steve is the co-founder / former CEO of AOL . He also founded Revolution & Rise of the Rest. Revolution focuses on early-stage venture capital investments in technology-enabled businesses in the growth, venture and...

Welcome to The Consumer VC, a podcast newsletter about venture capital and consumer startups delivered straight to your inbox. If you aren’t subscribed, come and subscribe below. Hey friends, There’s a new Consumer VC podcast episode! Thank you Connor Ryan for introducing me to our guest today, Joe Welch , Founder & CEO of In Good Taste . In Good Taste allows you to explore the world of wine with...

Welcome to The Consumer VC, a podcast newsletter about venture capital and consumer startups delivered straight to your inbox. If you aren’t subscribed, come and subscribe below. Hey friends, Our guests today are Wayne Hu (Partner) & Josh Constine (Venture Partner & Head of Content) at SignalFire . SignalFire is the first Venture Capital firm built from the ground up as a technology company. We di...

Our guest today is Ben Jones , CEO of Haus Labs by Lady Gaga . Haus Labs by Lady Gaga is Lady Gaga’s clean artistry makeup brand powered by innovation. Big shoutout to Cristina Nuñez for contributing thoughtful questions to the episode. We discuss: * How Ben met Lady Gaga * Why Ben wanted to work in beauty * The original launch of Haus Laboratories * Why they rebranded and relaunched as Haus Labs...

Hey Friends, Our guest today is Katlin Smith , founder and CEO of Simple Mills . Simple Mills are clean, nutritious foods for a better life - it’s that simple. We discuss: * The inspiration behind Simple Mills * Her approach to fundraising and her cap table * How Simple Mills releases new products * How food preferences have evolved since founding the company 10 years ago * How she thinks about fo...

Welcome to The Consumer VC, a podcast newsletter about venture capital and consumer startups delivered straight to your inbox. If you aren’t subscribed, come and subscribe below. Hi friends, Our guest today is Eze Vidra , Managing Partner of Remagine Ventures . Remagine focuses on a cluster of these interconnected sectors, specifically media, entertainment, sports, commerce and data. We discuss: *...

Welcome to The Consumer VC, a podcast newsletter about venture capital and consumer startups delivered straight to your inbox. If you aren’t subscribed, come and subscribe below. Hi friends, Our guest today is Abraham Shafi , co-founder & CEO of IRL . IRL is your group messaging app where you can chat, create polls, post photos, and coordinate plans with your friends. We discuss: * Abe’s original...

Hey Friends, Our guest today is Ashleigh Hinde , Founder and CEO of Waldo . Waldo makes daily contact lenses without the hassle or price tag. We discuss: * Why she chose to start a daily contact lenses company * Friction within eye care * How she’s building a brand with a product that you can’t see * Her approach to scale her e-commerce business * How she struck a partnership with Walmart & retail...

Welcome to The Consumer VC, a newsletter about venture capital and consumer startups delivered straight to your inbox. If you aren’t subscribed, come and subscribe below. Hey Friends, Our guest today is Michael Hirshland , co-founder of Resolute Ventures . Resolute Ventures is a lead seed and pre-seed investment focused on backing and connecting a community of founders who share an entrepreneurial...

Hey Friends, Our guest today on the podcast is Michael Senackerib , CEO of Dewey's Bakery . Dewey’s is a bakery in Winston-Salem, North Carolina that was founded in 1930. Recently they created a CPG line of their baked goods. We discuss: * How Dewey’s became popular in North Carolina * Why they decided to create a CPG line * Their approach to building a brand in retail * How Michael became Dewey’s...

Welcome to The Consumer VC, a newsletter about venture capital and consumer startups delivered straight to your inbox. If you aren’t subscribed, come and subscribe below. Hey Friends, Our guest today is Mike Mayer , Co-Founder of Windmill . Windmill is the smart, quiet AC unit that looks great in your window. We discuss: * How he co-founded Windmill with his brother * His approach to design * How...

Hey friends, Our guest today on the podcast is Matt Gibson , co-founder and CEO of New Culture . New Culture makes animal-free dairy products that stretch, melt, and taste like the real deal through fermentation. We cover: * What makes cheese, cheese * What is microbial fermentation * Difference between New Culture and other vegan cheeses * Partnering with restaurants and pizza chains * His launch...

Welcome to The Consumer VC, a newsletter about venture capital and consumer startups delivered straight to your inbox. If you aren’t subscribed, come and subscribe below. Hey Friends, Our guest today on The Consumer VC podcast is Noah Gray , co-founder and CEO of Onda . Onda is a tequila seltzer brand famously co-founded by Shay Mitchell . We discuss: * The origins of Onda * Why tequila seltzer *...

Hey friends, Our guest today is Brent Vartan , Managing Partner of Bullish . Bullish is an investment firm and brand agency designed for consumer businesses living early in an S-curve. Some of their investments include Peloton , Harry’s and Warby Parker . Bullish will be releasing its report “Bullish On Consumer: Operationalizing Demand-Side Themes for Better Outcomes” next week. As subscribers to...

Hey friends, Our guest today on the podcast is Cristina Nuñez , Co-Founder and General Partner of True Beauty Ventures . Some of their investments include Maude , Crown Affair , and K18 . We chat about: * Why she started a fund only focused on beauty and personal care * Will the future of investing in consumer brands become more specialized by category * The characteristics a digitally native bran...

Welcome to The Consumer VC, a newsletter about venture capital and consumer startups delivered straight to your inbox. If you aren’t subscribed, come and subscribe below. Hey Friends, Our guest today is Alison Cayne , who is the founder of Haven’s Kitchen . Haven’s Kitchen is a cooking school and a sauce brand that creates fresh sauces in easy-squeezy, lightweight pouches. In this episode we discu...

Welcome to The Consumer VC, a newsletter about venture capital and consumer startups delivered straight to your inbox. If you aren’t subscribed, come and subscribe below. Hey Friends, Our guest today is Chuck Newhall , one of the founders of New Enterprise Associates (NEA) . NEA is one of the largest and most renowned venture capital firms in the world. The companies he financed have over $400 bil...

Welcome to The Consumer VC, a newsletter about venture capital and consumer startups delivered straight to your inbox. If you aren’t subscribed, come and subscribe below. 🎧 You can also listen to this episode on  Spotify ,  Apple Podcasts , and other podcast players. Hey Friends, Our guest today is Nick Moran , General Partner of New Stack Ventures . Nick is also the host of The Full Ratchet podc...

Welcome to The Consumer VC, a newsletter about venture capital and consumer startups delivered straight to your inbox. If you aren’t subscribed, come and subscribe below. 🎧 You can also listen to this episode on  Spotify ,  Apple Podcasts , and other podcast players. Hey Friends, Thank you Oscar Adelman for the introduction to our guest today, Sita Chantramonklasri , Founding Partner at Siam Capi...